Critic Reviews

Super Meat Boy is one of the hardest games I’ve ever played. It highlighted my failings, mocked my willingness to keep on trying, teased me constantly with rewards just out of my reach and, just when I thought it was over, threw me back in to complete the whole range of alternate “dark” levels before I could put it to bed. With a fantastic sense of humour and a timeless story of love, loss, betrayal and princesses in other castles, Super Meat Boy is the essential platformer of this generation. As perfect as this type of game can get.

Super Meat Boy is unlikely to touch the sales records of the powerhouse physical releases. However it may well find itself as a surprise entry to may game of the year lists. What it does, it does to absolute perfection. Super Meat Boy is a game made by sadists, for masochists.

It may be too early to tell whether or not Super Meat Boy will be regarded as a 2D platforming classic, but it has all the makings of one. The game perfectly blends extreme difficulty with an immense feeling of reward and accomplishment. From a pure gameplay standpoint it controls wonderfully and each and every level has something new in store. Super Meat Boy may be a downloadable title but overall it's one of the best games of the year.

Super Meat Boy is one of the best platformers ever made. Yet that statement underestimates the game’s achievement, which transcends mundane considerations of genre. McMillen and Refenes deserve consideration as this generation’s Shigeru Miyamoto, but not just because they’re clever at placing platforms and bottomless pits. They’ve recaptured the enthusiasm of those Super Mario Bros. days, where a sense of wonder stemmed from the pure excitement of seeing what the game would show us next. Super Meat Boy expresses a deep faith in the joy of gaming for its own sake, and for those who keep that faith, it’s an extraordinary triumph.

As if that wasn't enough, every time you get an A+ Grade time on a level, a twisted, nightmarish version is unlocked, complete with its own leaderboard. This may well be the best tenner you ever spend.

Super Meat Boy knows exactly what it wants to do, which is to baffle, entertain, and frustrate you, to fill you with joy and rage in equal measure. And by God it does all those things without apology. This game is most certainly not for everyone--if you can't handle extremely hard games, you're better off marveling at this spectacle from a distance--but those who can stomach the difficult and appreciate the bizarre will take every ounce of punishment Super Meat Boy dishes out and beg for more.

And yet, Super Meat Boy's greatest strength has to be how it never takes itself too seriously -- as maddening as some of the levels got, I could never stay angry at the game for too long. So, yes, it can be frustrating, but getting past those roadblocks also leads to the game's most memorable moments. If you give it a chance I'm sure you'll feel the same.

Super Meat Boy is a love letter to everything that's great about video games. The experience runs the fine line of punishing and rewarding and has the ability to make you feel like you've achieved the impossible. It's an absolute must-buy from Xbox Live Arcade and should be found on every hard drive of every Xbox in existence. While this all sounds like high praise, Super Meat Boy earns every word of it.

Super Meat Boy is without a doubt the new frontrunner for downloadable game of the year. From top to bottom, the game is a near-perfect experience. There’s a great deal of challenge, but it never feels unbeatable. There’s also no feeling quite like the euphoria you experience when you do finally complete a level that’s been giving you trouble for the better part of an hour. With a ton of replay value, new characters and levels to constantly unlock, and leaderboard times to try and beat, it’ll be a long time until I’m through with this game. It’s incredibly addictive and fun, and I can’t wait to be done writing this review so I can go play more.

All in all, Super Meat Boy is a must-buy for all platformer fans, and succeeds in just about every goal it sets out to accomplish. It really gives VVVVVV a run for its money in terms of the best 2-D platformer of this generation, and that’s no small feat.

There are a few sore spots to this game but these are ridiculously minor in the face of the positives. If you've been looking for a good platformer that actually holds up and lasts for more than a few hours then this is the game for you. Even after its price jumps up to 1200 points it's still going to be an incredible steal with how much game you get for your money. If I haven't been enough of a raging fanboy then let me say this – buy this game now or we will find your family.

Yeah, that's about all I have for complaints regarding Super Meat Boy. In every other regard, the game just nails it. Unlike a lot of games from a small team, it doesn't try too hard to be different. Instead, it just strives to be the best at what it does, and it gets there. Team Meat has done more here to refine and evolve the genre that started with Donkey Kong than the real Donkey Kong sequels (including the Super Mario series) have done in ages. For that alone, I can say that Super Meat Boy stands amongst my favorite games of all time. First there was Donkey Kong, then came Mario, Mega Man, and Sonic. Now we have Meat Boy. The world's newest 2D platforming legend has arrived.

It's impossible to point to just one element that makes Super Meat Boy such an extraordinary game. From the intense-though-always-fair difficulty and the inspired level design, to the pinpoint controls and catchy soundtrack, all of the different aspects converge into something that is truly outstanding. When you hear stories of the unrepentant dangers that stand in your path, it's easy to get intimidated by such a daunting prospect. But don't be. The beauty of Super Meat Boy is that it always plays within the rules, and the smooth difficulty curve gives you plenty of time to become acquainted with everything before the true tests are unleashed. Death is always just one misstep away in Super Meat Boy, but the rush of winning is so supremely rewarding that you won't be able to tear yourself away.

Super Meat Boy is the best indie platformer and one of the best values on Xbox Live. The game may lack online (and local) multiplayer, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun passing around the controller with your friends – old school style. The game is tough and unforgiving, but it’s also fun and rewarding. The old NES classics of the 80s and 90s were a lot more challenging and simpler than games like Gears of War. Super Meat Boy pays homage to their legacy while still carving out its own place among them. Super Meat Boy is an indie masterpiece.

Super Meat Boy will easily now be a favourite of mine in the XBLA line-up and regardless of your gaming tastes demonstrates a slickness that other titles can only dream of. If precision perfect brick wall challenging platforming is your idea of a night well spent, or in simple N+ tickled your fancies, Super Meat Boy is sure to deliver and should be checked out right away.

Super Meat Boy is a fantastic game, one that finds a perfect balance between challenge and fun, between paying tribute to the 8-bit era and innovative gameplay and on top of it all has filled its beautiful package with tons of extra content, unlockables and levels that will even get the most hardened players on their knees. All the more impressive is the fact that even beginners will love putting their teeth in this one.

We'll make no bones about it: Super Meat Boy is a masterful platformer packed with multitudes of cool stuff, and it will keep you playing well longer than its bargain price tag would suggest. It's a steal at its current special price of 800 Microsoft points, and well worth the 1200 it'll eventually get bumped to. Prepare yourself for some state-of-the-art retro gaming.

Final recommendation, buy it, with a caveat. Super Meat Boy is not for everyone. Not everyone can handle the difficulty of a game like this, which I’ve heard described as “masocore” (combination of masochist and hardcore). So try the demo before buying. If you don’t like it, don’t buy. If you do, then Super Meat Boy is a hardcore platformer that will make you throw a fit, shout expletives, and make you want to throw your controller, until you then successfully complete a stage and will be thanking god for it. Then you will move onto the next stage and the challenge it offers, and happily start the cycle again.

There’s not much more to say - this is a game you should already be playing. If you like platformers, do not be turned off by the difficulty level. I’m not terribly good at games, but I still loved Super Meat Boy. It is a glorious celebration of everything that makes platformers good - challenging levels, innovative gameplay and a great sense of humor. Super Meat Boy is overflowing with content that no other release can match and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it brings home Game of the Year accolades from many publications.

Super Meat Boy is an excellent platformer in every respect. The levels are imaginative, the characters and bosses are strange and interesting, and the variety is impressive. It’s hugely addictive and with so many levels it can keep you entertained for a considerable amount of time. You’ll lose a controller or two to frustration and weeks of your life in equal measure.

I haven’t seen this type of unbridled, psychopathic difficulty in a game for years and that’s actually a good thing. I have a feeling that Super Meat Boy is going to appeal to a much older generation of gamers, those who grew up with the challenging arcade classics. I also believe the youngest of the Halo generation is going to crumble under the difficulty, throw the controller at the TV and go back to Modern Warfare 2. Super Meat Boy will probably be most enjoyed by patient, skilled gamers that can handle dying a couple thousand times before finishing the final level. The clever level design, vast depth of the game and references to gaming history past are enough to charm your way into your gaming heart; just be wary of the profanity-laden tirades that await your lips every time Super Meat Boy is ground into little super meaty bits.

Of course, Super Meat Boy might not be for you: it's highly likely you switched off when I wrote 'buggeringly hard' a few paragraphs ago. Super Meat Boy taps into the exact kind of things I want from a video game - it's bold, challenging and, above all, rewarding. I can certainly understand how people might not be attracted to a game that takes a sadistic delight in coming up with inventive ways to frustrate players, but you'd be missing out if you let Super Meat Boy pass you by.

Even after you've hit your difficulty threshold, the system for adding free new level packs based on the PC version's level editor should offer plenty of extra entertainment. With Super Meat Boy's cornucopia of offerings and irresistible charm, you'd be hard-pressed not to get your money's worth out of this title.

So after this glowing review why isn’t it a 10? Mainly because Super Meat Boy may turn off some players who aren’t looking to be tested, even if I believe that the quality of the SMB earns it the right to be that difficult. Though I’m not saying, “people who suck at games shouldn’t bother,” (because I’d never describe myself as an advanced player) it’s just that a few out there may genuinely not enjoy how far this game goes in challenging you. But if you love platformers and were dying to play one till your hands hurt, one with personality that comically recognizes its retro influences without cashing in on nostalgia to be fun, that’s tough but fair, and that will make you feel like you really earned the Achievement when you finally beat it, get Super Meat Boy. You won’t regret it.

Super Meat Boy is a fantastic addition to the XBLA library and one of the most addictive games I have played all year. If you like this type of game of trial and error, you owe it to yourself to give it a go. Yes the price point may seem steep on the surface, but I guarantee you will get that and more out of it. The value here is justified with replayability and the fact that I will likely be playing this title well into the new year trying to best my top times and earn an A+ on all the levels (like that will ever happen). I highly recommend giving this charming little title a whirl. I guarantee you cannot help but smile the first time you see him get grinded into oblivion, or the 1000th time for that matter.

Super Meat Boy is one of the best modern platformers. It's infuriating, exasperating, and arduous, but it's also delightful, thrilling, and hilarious. The NES games of yore were simultaneously simpler and more challenging than today's games, a quality perfectly emulated here. Invite some friends over and pass the controller around -- you're gonna need all the help you can get.

To rein in the hyperbole for a second, it is not quite that inventive or inspirational, but beneath the veil of difficulty it is every bit as inviting and thrillingly engineered. Super Meat Boy starts out as just another indie game that revels in driving you crazy, but you end up crazy in love.

Super Meat Boy comes down to personal skill, which might be the only reason I didn't fling the controller through the window. In other words, if you fail, it's your fault. If the levels weren't well-designed, or if the controls were off even by the slightest bit, Super Meat Boy would be an entirely different experience. As it stands, it's one of the best platformers I've ever played.

If there would is any reason not to recommend the game, it would have to be the challenge. If you have a penchant for breaking controllers, I cannot in good faith, for the sake of your bank account (because you will have to constantly buy new controllers) recommend this game. If you can appreciate all the other elements that make up a great game like music, style, gameplay, etc. then there is no reason not to insist that you grab some points to pick up Super Meat Boy immediately.

Determining whether a game of such superfluous difficulty is good or not is a tricky if not paradoxical endeavor. Imagine you’re at a restaurant and there’s an supremely delicious looking dish, but it’s also insanely spicy. On one hand, someone who can handle spicy food will love the dish. On the other, someone who is sensitive to spicy food may not be able to handle it. That’s how I think of Super Meat Boy. If you can handle the difficulty and don’t mind an exercise in frustration, this is one of the best platformers out there and an honorable ode to the glorious days of old-school. If you prefer a more easy going experience, you may want to pass on SMB and save yourself the rise in blood pressure.

It brings back fond memories of a genre that is going through a renaissance on the Xbox Live Arcade and indie scene with darlings such as Braid, ‘Splosion Man, A Boy and His Blob, Limbo, LittleBigPlanet and many others. With that said, Super Meat Boy is among the best in the genre in recent memory. Do yourself a favor and buy it; you can thank and curse me out later.

My own personal playthrough went through several ups and downs, and though there were plenty of times when my blood pressure was elevated and the profanity from my lips was flowing like a river in flood, I have to say that Team Meat's brand of tough love was something that I just couldn't quit. Those 1542 deaths? So worth it.

Super Meat Boy is the latest in another year of quality titles on Xbox Live Arcade and anybody with even a passing interest in platforming should give it a try. It's a game that countless people are going to be talking about, and you won’t want to miss out. The whole production is high quality, but don't expect it to revolutionize the way you see platformers. This game doesn't try to reinvent the wheel; it's merely the latest quality interpretation.

At the end of the day, Super Meat boy does a fabulous job at what it’s intended to do: pay homage to the classic NES platformers. The level design is brutally brilliant and do a great job of throwing new obstacles at the player. The story is standard rescue fare and even though the cutscenes are a joy, they won’t change the fact that the centerpiece is the classic gameplay. Folks who don’t like retro platforming or don’t have the patience to replay a level 20 or 30 times until finding the correct timing to complete it should look elsewhere. But for everyone else, Super Meat Boy is a great throwback to the way it used to be before 3D graphics, sniper rifles and open-world sandboxes staged their coup.

Super Meat Boy was designed with a very explicit target audience in mind. It answers the call of players looking for a difficult platformer full of style and humour. The level design is outstanding and the gameplay, although infuriating, is extremely addictive and rewarding. Independent games have proved themselves be a valuable outing in recent years, and Super Meat Boy is another polished treasure that has redefined the meaning of 'challenge'. It comes at a big cost and you will feel like an incompetent moron, but that won't prevent you from coming back time and time again.

As I write this, I’ve completed just 34% of Super Meat Boy. I’m struggling toward the last level of the main game, I’ve dabbled in the Dark World, and I’ve gathered a fragment of the game’s numerous bandage collectibles. I’ve barely scratched the surface, and I feel like I’ve played more than an entire game’s worth of content. Oh, and I’ve died 2,136 times.

Even though Super Meat Boy will make most casual players shy away from it due to its extreme, raw (pun intended) level of difficulty, there's plenty of content to dig through and it's all well worth the effort. For a fifteen dollar (1200 Microsoft Points) Xbox Live Arcade title, the amount of levels and bonus material make it one of the better dishes in Microsoft's Game Feast, if you can stomach it.